BOISE, Idaho — Several Idaho law enforcement agencies have joined forces to combat a surge in holiday-season online scams through a new 'Don't Click December' campaign. U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, alongside the FBI and multiple local law enforcement agencies are honing in cryptocurrency investment scams for the upcoming holidays.
The campaign's third PSA focuses in on what they call "pig butchering" scams, convincing victims to make financial investments using cryptocurrency.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said that after victims have made the fake investment, the scammer will send a fake account report showing financial gains to convince the victim to invest more cryptocurrency. The agency reports that in reality the investments are fake, and all of the money is under the control of the scammer who will steal the money.
This latest PSA is a part of the larger Don't Click December initiative by the U.S. Attorney's Office and its law enforcement partners. Read more on the entire campaign here. Another PSA as part of the initiative is planned to be released before Christmas.
"We have witnessed many Idahoans lose their hard-earned money or their entire retirement savings to online scams. And, sadly, this type of crime tends to spike during the holiday season," said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. "But, together, we can reduce the risks by talking with each other about how to avoid such scams, and I'm grateful to our law enforcement partners and the AARP for joining us in the Don't Click December campaign. We also encourage Idahoans to report any scams as soon as possible so that law enforcement can investigate and we can bring these vicious online criminals to justice."
